Artist Illustrates ABCs With Band Names

Jim Billy Wheeler is designing an illustrated ABCs of musicians, and his alphabet includes quite the rock star lineup. From Arcade Fire to The Kills, his Band to Basics project is a schooling in damn good design as well. The Bristol, England-based animator and illustrator is creating one letter at a time—as of now, he’s completed the alphabet through the letter L.

A number of Wheeler’s illustrations are quite literal representations of the band names. For example, the letter B is assigned to Beach House and depicts, you guessed it, a beach house.

Other designs are less literal, but incorporate components of the band name. A is for Arcade Fire and features the letter A on fire. E is for Edward Sharpe, with the letter E in the shape of a magnet (-ic zero). H is for Hot Chip. If you’re wondering why Wheeler chose French fries for the illustration, remember that he’s British. Who eats hot potato chips anyway?

We’ve re-imagined bands as beer labels and seen the ABCs of architects, but Wheeler’s project is in a class all of its own. It will be fun to see which musicians make the cut for the remaining 14 letters.

Wheeler’s website is currently under construction, but you can check out his Facebook page for updates on the project.

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